Court: Suspected cocaine dealer stands on stash to avoid arrest

Stubbornly standing on a small bag of crack cocaine only resulted in added charges for a man accused of distributing cocaine and marijuana near an apartment complex on Winston Road, according to court testimony.

Stubbornly standing on a small bag of crack cocaine only resulted in added charges for a man accused of distributing cocaine and marijuana near an apartment complex on Winston Road, according to court testimony.

Megail Thirkield, 24, faced charges of intending to distribute cocaine and marijuana, abandonment of control substances and loitering during a Thursday morning Recorder's Court hearing.

After he was allegedly found lurking in an alleyway on the 1000 block of Winston Road, two officers on patrol attempted to stop Thirkield. At first, he tried walking slowly away from the approaching patrol car, but broke out into a run as officers drew near, officers said.

He was finally tackled and detained near where he was originally sighted. While one officer questioned him about the large amount of cash he had in his pocket — about $100 in small bills — the other patted down Thirkield for weapons. Thirkield allegedly denied spontaneously ownership of the money, though he provided no explanation as to where the money came from.

At one point, the second officer asked Thirkield to spread his legs a little wider, and spotted a plastic bag with 2 grams of suspected crack cocaine under his foot.

In another pocket, officers found an unspecified amount of marijuana, which Thirkield claimed. The crack cocaine he denied possession of.

Thirkield was taken to Muscogee County Jail.

During Thursday's hearing, Thirkield was taken from the court room briefly after he cursed under his breath during testimony. Loud shouts from the waiting area of the court could be heard in the chamber.

Judge Michael Joyner set Thirkield's bond at $16,750. His case will be bound over to Muscogee County Superior Court.